23 Nov Hidden Truths About Success

JUAN SAYS: Success is never success when it is not shared. Jack Ma may not be sharing his trade secrets but sharing what he has learned from his journey to what he is today shortens our very own journey to success. A balance of life and work? We have heard it so many times, but how come we still clock in more than 8 hours of work everyday, forgetting our life passions, neglecting those we love the most – our spouses and our children. This cycle makes you wonder, how can work occupy too much of our time that we just let life pass us by.

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Here are pieces of advice from Jack Ma, China’s most successful business man which we want everyone to read and take to heart.

On developing ideas
• If 90% of those present at a business meeting vote in favor of one or other suggestion, I’ll always throw it out. The reason for this is simple: If everyone present can see the opportunity here, then the chances are lots of different companies are already working on the same idea, and we won’t be able to lead the way in it.

JUAN’S VERSION: Don’t make another “me too” project.

On what not to do

• In 2001, I made a mistake. I told my employees who had founded the company with me that the limit of their career growth was the managerial level. I thought that I needed to have professionals on my side. Year later, and none of those professionals work for us, whereas those whom I doubted had the potential to go far are now my vice-presidents.

• The worst qualities an entrepreneur can have are: snobbishness, an inability to understand the situation properly, adopt a high tempo of work without having the ability to sustain it in the long-term, and not possessing the ability to see what’s going to happen next.

• One principle guides me: your attitude towards work and the decisions which you take are more important than your abilities.

JUAN VERSION: Learning is one thing (your seminars, your masteral degrees). But when not put in use, it is nothing but a piece of sh**!

On complaints
• Nothing terrible will happen if you occasionally allow yourself to complain.

• Falling into depression and constantly complaining about the state of your life is no less destructive than alcoholism. It’s the same dangerous situation: the more you do it, the worse it gets. Successful people don’t have these kind of problems.

JUAN SAYS: Complaining occasionally is one thing. But being the “complaints department” is another thing.

Advice for youth

• What does real failure mean? It means when you keep fighting for what you want.

• What does adaptability mean? You’ll understand when you experience failure and disappointment.

• What are you obliged to do? You’re obliged to work as hard as you can and be more ambitious than others.

• Only fools talk out of their mouths. Intelligent people speak to themselves only in their head; wise people only in their hearts.